Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

Facts on Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs, venereal diseases) are among the most common infectious diseases in the United States today. STDs are sometimes referred to as sexually transmitted infections, since these conditions involve the transmission of an infectious organism between sex partners. More than 20 different STDs have been identified, and about 19 million men and women are infected each year in the United States, according to the CDC (2010).

Depending on the disease, the infection can be spread through any type of sexual activity involving the sex organs, the anus, or the mouth; an infection can also be spread through contact with blood during sexual activity. STDs are infrequently transmitted by other types of contact (blood, body fluids or tissue removed from an STD infected person and placed in contact with an uninfected person). However, people that share unsterilized needles markedly increase the chance to pass many diseases, including STD's (especially hepatitis B), to others. Some diseases are not considered to be officially an STD (for example, hepatitis types A, C, E) but are infrequently noted to be transferred during sexual activity. Consequently, some authors include them as STD's, while others do not. Some lists of STD's can vary, depending on whether the STD is usually transmitted by sexual contact or only infrequently transmitted.

STDs affect men and women of all ages and backgrounds, including children. Many states require that Child Protective Services be notified if children are diagnosed with an STD.

STDs have become more common in recent years, partly because people are becoming sexually active at a younger age, are having multiple partners, and do not use preventive methods to lessen their chance of acquiring an STD. Seniors show a marked increase in STDs in the last few years as many do not use condoms.

People can pass STDs to sexual partners even if they themselves do not have any symptoms.

Frequently, STDs can be present but cause no symptoms, especially in women (for example, chlamydia, genital herpes or gonorrhea). This can also occur in some men.

Health problems and long-term consequences from STDs tend to be more severe for women than for men. Some STDs can cause pelvic infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which may cause a tubo-ovarian abscess. The abscess, in turn, may lead to scarring of the reproductive organs, which can result in an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the uterus), infertility or even death for a woman.

Many STDs can be passed from a mother to her baby before, during, or immediately after birth.

Because the method of becoming infected is similar with all STDs, a person often obtains more than one pathogenic organism at a time. For example, many people (about 50%) are infected at a single sexual contact with both gonorrhea and chlamydia.

What Causes the Various Types of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

Depending on the disease, STDs can be spread with any type of sexual activity. STDs are most often caused by viruses and bacteria. The following is a list of the most common STDs, their causes. Additionally, there are other infections (see STDs with asterisk mark*) that may be transmitted on occasion by sexual activity, but these are typically not considered to be STDs by many investigators:

Small, painless bumps in the genital or anal areas (sometimes in large clusters that look like cauliflower)

Various treatments available (for example, freezing or painting the warts with medication)

Vaccines are available against the most common types of HPV

Hepatitis

Hepatitis B and D are most often associated with sexual contact, hepatitis A, C, E are less frequently transmitted by sexual contact.

Both may be transmitted via contact with blood; for hepatitis B, sexual transmission is believed to be responsible for 30% of the cases worldwide.

The hepatitis B virus can cause both an initial (acute) and a chronic form of liver inflammation. Only 50% of acute infections with the hepatitis B virus produce symptoms. The initial phase of infection lasts a few weeks, and in most people (90% to 95%), the infection clears.

Cheese-like vaginal discharge or whitish exudates sometimes with a reddish hue to the skin; it may occur around the foreskin of infected males; common symptoms are itching and burning sensation of the vagina or penis.

Is treated either with topical or oral antifungal medicines.

Symptoms of STDs caused by parasites

Pubic lice

Very tiny bugs that are found in pubic hair, sometimes referred to as "crabs"

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When Should I Call a Doctor About STDs?

A medical examination may be necessary if a person believes he or she may have an STD or if he or she may have been exposed to someone with an STD. Being seen by a doctor as soon as possible after exposure to an STD is important; these infections can easily spread to others and can have serious complications.

Go to your primary care physician or an urgent care center or STD clinic in these circumstances if:

an STD problem worsens or

a fever develops with other symptoms.

How Are Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Diagnosed?

Some STDs can be diagnosed without any tests at all (for example, pubic lice). Other STDs require a blood test or a sample of any unusual fluid (such as an abnormal discharge from the vagina or the penis for gonorrhea or chlamydia) to be analyzed in a lab to help establish a diagnosis. Some tests are completed while a person waits; other tests require a few days before a person may obtain the results (for example, syphilis).

Are There Home Remedies for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

What Is the Treatment for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

The treatment of an STD varies depending on the type of STD. Some STDs require a person to take antibiotic medication either by mouth or by injection; other STDs require a person to apply creams or special solutions on the skin. Often, reexamination by a doctor is necessary after the treatment to confirm that the STD is completely gone.

Some STDs, such as genital herpes and HIV (which leads to AIDS), cannot be cured, only controlled with medication.

For treatment of individual STD types, the reader is urged to click on the individual disease listed above.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Follow-up

Sometimes people with STDs are too embarrassed or frightened to ask for help or information. However, most STDs are easy to treat. The sooner a person seeks treatment and warns sexual partners about the disease, the less likely the disease will do permanent damage, be spread to others, or be passed to a baby.

How Do I Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

The best way to prevent STDs is to avoid sexual contact with others. If people decide to become sexually active, they can reduce the risk of developing an STD in these ways:

Practice abstinence (refrain from sex entirely) or be in a monogamous relationship (both sexual partners are each other's only sexual partner).

Delay having sexual relations as long as possible. The younger people are when they become sexually active, the higher the lifetime risk for contracting an STD. The risk also increases with the number of sexual partners.

Correctly and consistently use a male latex condom. The spermicide nonoxynol-9, once thought to protect against STDs as well as to prevent pregnancy, has been proven to be ineffective for disease prevention. Do not rely on it. In addition, condoms are only about 90% effective in preventing STDs

Have regular medical checkups even if you do not have symptoms of an STD.

Learn the symptoms of STDs.

Avoid douching because it removes some of the natural protection in the vagina.

Vaccines against HPV and hepatitis B are available and effective.

What Is the Prognosis for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

Most of the common STDs can be cured with treatment.

In addition to the discomfort of the infection, some STDs can cause other, more serious, long-term problems, including infertility and problems in newborns infected by their mothers during pregnancy such as blindness, bone deformities, developmental disabilities, and infrequently, death.